Virtual wards for people with frailty: what works, for whom, how and why-a rapid realist review.

Background: Virtual wards (VWs) deliver multidisciplinary care at home to people with frailty who are at high risk of a crisis or in crisis, aiming to mitigate the risk of acute hospital admission. Different VW models exist, and evidence of effectiveness is inconsistent.

Aim: We conducted a rapid realist review to identify different VW models and to develop explanations for how and why VWs could deliver effective frailty management.

Bacteria and bioburden and healing in complex wounds: A prognostic systematic review.

The wound microbiome may play an important role in the wound healing process. We conducted the first systematic prognosis review investigating whether aspects of the wound microbiome are independent prognostic factors for the healing of complex wounds. We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library to February 2019.

Protease activity as a prognostic factor for wound healing in complex wounds.

Healing mechanisms are disrupted in complex wounds. Proteases may persist longer in nonhealing wounds. We sought to investigate whether protease activity, protease inhibitor activity, or their combinations are independent prognostic factors for healing of complex wounds.

Memantine for dementia.

Background: Memantine is a moderate affinity uncompetitive antagonist of glutamate NMDA receptors. It is licensed for use in moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease (AD); in the USA, it is also widely used off-label for mild AD.

Objectives: To determine efficacy and safety of memantine for people with dementia.

Protease activity as a prognostic factor for wound healing in venous leg ulcers.

Background: Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are a common type of complex wound that have a negative impact on people's lives and incur high costs for health services and society. It has been suggested that prolonged high levels of protease activity in the later stages of the healing of chronic wounds may be associated with delayed healing. Protease modulating treatments have been developed which seek to modulate protease activity and thereby promote healing in chronic wounds.

Dressings and topical agents for treating venous leg ulcers.

Background: Venous leg ulcers are open skin wounds on the lower leg which can be slow to heal, and are both painful and costly. The point prevalence of open venous leg ulcers in the UK is about 3 cases per 10,000 people, and many people experience recurrent episodes of prolonged ulceration. First-line treatment for venous leg ulcers is compression therapy, but a wide range of dressings and topical treatments are also used.

Intraoperative interventions for preventing surgical site infection: an overview of Cochrane Reviews.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) rates vary from 1% to 5% in the month following surgery. Due to the large number of surgical procedures conducted annually, the costs of these SSIs can be considerable in financial and social terms. Many interventions are used with the aim of reducing the risk of SSI in people undergoing surgery.

Antiseptics for burns.

Background: Burn wounds cause high levels of morbidity and mortality worldwide. People with burns are particularly vulnerable to infections; over 75% of all burn deaths (after initial resuscitation) result from infection. Antiseptics are topical agents that act to prevent growth of micro-organisms.

Dressings and topical agents for treating pressure ulcers.

Background: Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, decubitus ulcers and pressure injuries, are localised areas of injury to the skin or the underlying tissue, or both. Dressings are widely used to treat pressure ulcers and promote healing, and there are many options to choose from including alginate, hydrocolloid and protease-modulating dressings. Topical agents have also been used as alternatives to dressings in order to promote healing.

Protease-modulating matrix treatments for healing venous leg ulcers.

Background: Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are open skin wounds on the lower leg that occur because of poor blood flow in the veins of the leg; leg ulcers can last from weeks to years, and are both painful and costly. Prevalence in the UK is about 2.9 cases per 10,000 people.

A 'test and treat' strategy for elevated wound protease activity for healing in venous leg ulcers.

Background: Venous leg ulcers are a common and recurring type of complex wound. They can be painful, malodorous, prone to infection and slow to heal. Standard treatment includes compression therapy and a dressing.

Honey as a topical treatment for wounds.

Background: Honey is a viscous, supersaturated sugar solution derived from nectar gathered and modified by the honeybee, Apis mellifera. Honey has been used since ancient times as a remedy in wound care. Evidence from animal studies and some trials has suggested that honey may accelerate wound healing.

The cost-effectiveness of multi-component interventions to prevent delirium in older people undergoing surgical repair of hip fracture.

This article summarizes the detailed cost-effectiveness analysis of delirium prevention interventions in people undergoing surgical repair of hip fracture. We compared a multi-component delirium prevention intervention with usual care using a model based on a decision tree analysis. The model was used to estimate the incremental net monetary benefit (INMB).

Tilt testing is more cost-effective than implantable loop recorder monitoring as a means of directing pacing therapy in people with recurrent episodes of suspected vasovagal syncope that affect their quality of life or present a high risk of injury.

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of implantable loop recorders (ILRs) and tilt testing (TT) to direct pacing therapy in people with recurrent episodes of transient loss of consciousness that are adversely affecting their quality of life or represent a high risk of injury and are suspected to be vasovagal.

Design: Decision analytical modelling was used to estimate the costs and benefits of diagnostic testing including the costs and benefits of treatment for several clinically important arrhythmias following diagnosis.

Setting: A UK National Health Service and personal social services perspective was taken.

Introducing GRADE across the NICE clinical guideline program.

Objectives: Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) is a system for rating the confidence in estimates of effect and grading guideline recommendations. It promotes evaluation of the quality of the evidence for each outcome and an assessment of balance between desirable and undesirable outcomes leading to a judgment about the strength of the recommendation. In 2007, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence began introducing GRADE across its clinical guideline program to enable separation of judgments about the evidence quality from judgments about the strength of the recommendation.

Implantable loop recorders are cost-effective when used to investigate transient loss of consciousness which is either suspected to be arrhythmic or remains unexplained.

Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in people with transient loss of consciousness (TLoC), which, after initial assessment and specialist cardiovascular assessment, is either suspected to be arrhythmic in origin or remains unexplained. This analysis was conducted to inform clinical guideline recommendations made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of TLoC.

Methods And Results: Decision analytic modelling was used to estimate the costs and benefits of using ILRs compared with a strategy of no further diagnostic testing.

Synopsis of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guideline for management of transient loss of consciousness.

Description: Transient loss of consciousness (TLoC) is common and often leads to incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary investigation, or inappropriate choice of specialist referral. In August 2010, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published a guideline that addressed the initial assessment of and most appropriate specialist referral for persons who have experienced TLoC. The guideline focused on correct diagnosis and relevant specialist referral and did not make treatment recommendations.